It's A Start
by Sailor Grape
Summary: New Directions shows up at Dalton to kidnap Kurt and take him back to McKinley. Slightly more angsty than it sounds.


Title: It's a Start

Author: GrapeSmshr

Rated: T for mild language

Disclaimer: If obsession came in the form of money, I would have been able to buy Glee a million times over.

A/N: Fair warning… This is my first Glee fic (though I have read TONS of them), and it's the first thing I've written in 3 years. So please keep that in mind. Also, I didn't have a beta, just did a cursory read-through myself. So if there are any discrepancies, I apologize beforehand. On that note, read on and enjoy!

OoOoOoO

"You're going the wrong way!"

"Ouch! Who just stepped on my foot?"

"Can I just state _again_ what a stupid idea this is?"

"Are we sure this is the right direction?"

"Everyone be quiet!" a voice hissed commandingly.

The group stopped abruptly, some running into others, earning disgruntled muttering. But they were all silenced by a hand held up by the ringleader to this madness.

Hands on her hips in an all-business fashion, Rachel told them in her most authoritative whisper, "When we get there, I'll do all the talking. I have extensive notes on exactly what-"

"Just get on with it, Hobbit!" Santana's annoyed eye roll could be heard in her voice.

Bristling, Rachel complied and turned back around, leading them up the stairs and down the hall to the left. She help up her tiny pen light, ghosting over room numbers until she found the one she was looking for. When everyone had gathered around her, she took a deep breath and knocked hesitantly on the door.

An arm snaked around her and knocked more loudly. As Rachel shot him a glare, Puck just smirked and told her, "Now's not the time to be shy, Berry."

They could hear some mumbling on the other side of the door, followed by a crash and a loud curse. A moment later the door was thrown open by a tall blonde boy with an extremely annoyed expression on his face. After surveying the motley crew, he called back over his shoulder, "Don't you get any visitors at _normal_ hours?" Pushing past the mob in the doorway, they heard him mutter, "At least it's not Blaine again…"

They all stared after him as he disappeared down the hall, most of them wondering who Blaine was.

"Guys?"

Kurt stood in the doorway, tugging at the sleeves of his standard Dalton pajamas, hair slightly askew but still fabulous. His half-asleep expression was a mixture of incredulity and wonder.

"Kurt!" Brittany exclaimed as she glomped onto him, almost knocking them both over.

"Shhh!" he hushed her in a loud whisper, gesturing for everyone to come inside his dorm. They all filed in obediently, cramming into the small room and immediately exploring its confines.

After doling out a few more hugs, Kurt sat down next to Mercedes on his bed and surveyed the band of interlopers. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but why are you guys here at-" he checked his alarm clock- "three in the morning? And why are you all dressed like you're about to film the funeral version of _Sweatin' to the Oldies_?"

At this they all looked down at their own outfits and at each other. Each wore all black, many articles of the sweatpant variety, with a mishmash of different black tops and accessories. Honestly, if he hadn't pinched himself a half-dozen times, Kurt would have thought he was dreaming. Or possibly having a nightmare.

"What's wrong with our outfits?" Rachel demanded defensively, tugging at her (admittedly stylish) cropped black hoodie.

"Ok, yours? Nothing," he amended. Then he rounded on Artie. "Seriously? A sweatband? Are you going to be singing Push It anytime soon?"

Said boy sheepishly tugged the offending article off his head. "I guess you have a point…"

"Now, would someone like to tell me what's going on?"

"We came to kidnap you!" Brittany supplied happily. She paused. "Although I don't get why you need a nap if you were already sleeping…"

Kurt raised a delicately plucked eyebrow at her typical flighty response, then turned toward his lovable but dumb-as-a-post stepbrother. "Kidnap me?"

"Rescue you," Finn correctly, clearing his throat awkwardly.

This elicited an amused chuckle from Kurt. "Really, now. Rescue me? From what?"

"From this craphole," Puck supplied. As Kurt shot him a look of disbelief, he continued, "Ok, this _swanky_ craphole. Dude, screw the parakeets. You belong with us."

"What he _meant_ to say," Rachel jumped in with a glare to New Directions' Am_badass_ador, "is that we miss you very much." She sat down beside him, laying a hand on his arm. "I know Dalton isn't quite what you expected, and I'm sorry for that," she told him quietly. Over Kurt's absence the last two months, the two divas had become quite close, with regular phone calls and visits. When he confided that, despite the lack of fear and an actual care for academia, he missed New Directions and being able to be himself, Rachel decided that they needed to do everything in their power to bring Kurt home, back to his family.

It had only taken thirty seconds to get the rest of the glee club on board and brainstorming ideas, which ultimately led to the situation at hand.

Kurt glanced around at his friends, a sad smile on his face. He contemplated denying her words, but they would see right through him. "You are right," he admitted. "I _am_ unhappy here. But I also have never had my life threatened here."

"If you're worried about Karofsky, don't be," Santana spoke up with a malicious smile. "We took care of him."

A knot of dread curled tightly in Kurt's stomach at their matching grins, but a twisted fascination overruled his desire to not know. "You did? How?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, Karofsky sits behind me in Calculus," Mike started. "The other day he fell asleep in class and no one noticed, least of all me-until he started mumbling in his sleep."

"What was he saying?" Kurt was morbidly curious. It was like slowing down at seeing a car wreck-he just _had_ to know what was going on.

"He was saying, 'I miss you Kurt.'"

Whatever he had been anticipating to hear, it certainly wasn't _that_. He half expected Mike to tell him it was a joke. He waited a few seconds for the punch line, but there was none. "Oh my," was all he could manage.

"So when we got out of class, I confronted him," Mike continued, "which wouldn't have been a big deal except that we got it on film." He gestured to Lauren, who was standing by the window looking extremely bored. "Lauren was returning some video equipment to the A/V room and saw what was going on, so she busted out the camera."

"We caught the douchebag on tape landing a sucker punch to Mike's face," Puck interrupted, and, for the first time, Kurt noticed Mike's bruised left eye. "Karofsky was lucky I wasn't there. I would have…" He balled his hand into a fist and punched his other hand menacingly, scowling for emphasis.

"You wouldn't have done shit, Juvie Boy," Santana sneered at him. "_Anyway_," she finished, obviously getting impatient, "we showed the tape to Mr. Schue and Coach Sylvester, who went to Figgins."

"After what happened last time with you, he really didn't have a defense," Finn said quietly. Then a huge, dopey grin lit up his entire face. "Dude, he was expelled. For good this time."

"You should see Azimio, walking around like he lost his boyfriend or something," Tina joked, and everyone laughed.

Finn and Kurt exchanged glances; they never told anyone else what happened with Karofsky. He loved his friends dearly, but Kurt knew better than anyone how fast gossip would spread, and he wasn't about to see if Karofsky would make good on that death threat.

"You see, baby boy? Now that their ringleader is gone, the rest of the idiots should stop bullying you," Mercedes told him softly. "Plus, I need my best friend back!"

"I already talked to Burt." Finn walked over and laid a heavy hand on Kurt's shoulder, squeezing gently. "The paperwork is all ready for you to go, if you want to transfer back."

Kurt's mind was reeling. Karofsky was gone? And he wasn't coming back? That news alone was enough to both thrill and terrify him. What if Karofsky came looking for him, wanting revenge? The big dumb jock was unstable, so who knows what he would do. But as Kurt looked around at all the faces beaming at him, he knew he would be safe. No matter what. Mike got a black eye for him. So did Sam, last time. Hell, even the girls took a stand for him!

So this was it. Going back to McKinley-going back home-was now an option.

His thoughts were interrupted when a throat cleared loudly.

Everyone's attention fell on the boy standing in the doorway, pajamas matching Kurt's, mop of curly hair mussed haphazardly from sleep.

"Blaine." Kurt stared in wide-eyed wonder at his friend. Why was he in Kurt's room? How did he know about the craziness going on-ohhh… Jack, his roommate, must have sought him out.

"Jack woke me up a few minutes ago, saying something about your room being invaded by sad-looking ninjas," Blaine confirmed, pursing his lips to keep from smiling at the group's affronted faces. "Not to break up the party, but it_ is_ rather late."

"He's right, guys." Kurt finally tore his eyes away from Blaine. "I don't want you to get in trouble. We can talk tomorrow." He stood, giving Finn a soft smile. "Thank you, Finn. For everything." He squawked when his stepbrother pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"I'll see you at home this weekend, brother." Finn smiled as he followed Puck and Artie out, giving a nod to Blaine.

Mercedes reached up to fix a strand of hair that had fallen into Kurt's eyes. "You're my boy, and you always will be," she whispered fiercely, hugging him.

"I know. Love you, Dark Chocolate." He winked at her.

As Santana ushered Brittany out, they heard the blonde ask, "Are we going to see where they keep the owls now?"

Kurt shook his head in amusement. He had missed Brittany's insanity.

Rachel was the last to leave. For once she didn't have anything to say, just gave him a watery smile as he enveloped her in his arms.

"There, there, Rachel, Dalton only has room for one drama queen at a time," he teased, gaining a snort of laughter from his fellow diva. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear before releasing her.

She beamed at him before taking her leave, waiting until she was behind Blaine to turn back to Kurt and point at the other boy, mouthing, "He's cute!" before winking and disappearing out the door.

Glancing at Blaine's unreadable expression, Kurt shrugged and gave a weak giggle. "My friends-never a dull moment with them." He frowned when he was met with silence, growing nervous. Was Blaine angry at the intrusion? It really was inconvenient to be woken up by someone else's roommate complaining about an invasion. He was about to apologize when Blaine spoke first.

"You're transferring back to McKinley?"

The words were flat, expressionless, as expressionless as the look on Blaine's face. He was unmoving, staring at the wall above Kurt's head, avoiding eye contact.

"I-no-I don't-" Kurt sighed, apprehensively biting his lower lip. This was all happening so fast, so unexpectedly. He didn't know what to think. He sank back down onto his bed, covering his face with his hands.

A moment later he heard the door click, and a weight settled on the bed next to him. A hand lay on his shoulder, much like Finn's had, but this time he could feel the hesitation in the action.

"Kurt," Blaine started. When the other boy lowered his hands but still stared at the ground, he continued. "Kurt, I heard-" he licked his lips nervously. "I overheard what they said. About Karofsky. Do you-do you want to go back?"

It was a fairly stupid question on his part, Blaine knew. Kurt had been excited to transfer, to rid himself of the negativity at McKinley. But all too quickly he began to realize that Dalton, while nice in idealization, was not what the younger boy expected. And as the days wore on, Blaine was more and more heartbroken every time he saw Kurt, every time he noticed that strong spark in his eyes fade just a little bit more. Blaine was so overwrought with guilt for encouraging the transfer that he started avoiding Kurt. He couldn't stand Kurt's lackluster expression, or his own guilty conscience.

When he overheard that Karofsky was expelled, that Kurt could transfer back and feel _safe_ at his old school, Blaine's heart broke just a little bit more, but this time for himself. Because he knew what had to be done. He wasn't going to be selfish anymore.

Kurt's mind was muddled, overwhelmed with what just happened, with Blaine's presence, with the _entire situation_. While he always entertained the thought of going back, he never _really _considered it because of the insane fear that coursed through his veins. But now… now it was a possibility.

A possibility that came with repercussions.

Now, Kurt wasn't naïve. He didn't think that the bullying would fully stop just because one creep got expelled. At Dalton, he would never have to worry about that. Plus, he was bored to tears academically at McKinley. At least now he had classes that actually required him to use his brain. And he did love the challenge.

And the Warblers… Well, Kurt wouldn't kid himself. He could really take or leave them. They didn't hold the slightest fraction of appeal that New Directions possessed.

But there was one thing that McKinley didn't have, one thing that Kurt cherished over everything else.

Blaine.

The thought of leaving the older teen behind made Kurt's throat constrict and his insides twist painfully. He owed so much of his current strength to Blaine, who helped Kurt stand up for himself, who encouraged him to leave a possible fatal situation behind, for trying to smooth the transition to a new school.

Ok, yeah, so they haven't talked as much lately, haven't hung out as much. Laughed together. Shared daily anecdotes. But the little things added up. Their hands brushing when sitting together. Shoulders bumping as they strolled down the hallways. Hugs that lasted a beat too long to be considered just friendly. Smiles that bordered on adoring or flirty.

Despite constantly telling himself that he and Blaine were just friends, would always_ be_ just friends, Kurt fell in love with him.

And now he didn't want to leave.

Blaine's hand moved from Kurt's shoulder to rub soothing circles on his lower back, shaking Kurt from his reverie. He was startled to find that his vision was blurred with tears threatening to spill down his face. He hastily blinked them away. Crying always made his face splotchy; it was not an attractive look.

Kurt leaned into the older boy, sighing heavily when strong arms wrapped around him. He would miss this, getting to see Blaine all the time. Even though his heart didn't want to admit it, his head had already made up its mind. He never really belonged at Dalton. It was a much needed sanctuary, but it wasn't home. It was time to go back.

"You're leaving," Blaine stated sadly, tightening his hold on Kurt. The words didn't need to be spoken; he knew that, given the chance and under better circumstances, Kurt would transfer back in a heartbeat. And as a friend and-that dreaded word-mentor, he would be supportive.

Even though he really,_ really_ didn't want Kurt to leave.

Kurt shifted so that he could bury his face in the crook of Blaine's shoulder. "Are you disappointed in me?" he asked, words slightly muffled.

Blaine could understand why Kurt might think that, and he wanted to kick himself for it. He knew that distancing himself might confuse Kurt, but he just wanted the younger boy to be able to stand on his own. In hindsight, it was a rather stupid plan, as Kurt needed someone to lean on then more than ever. "Disappointed? Yes," he answered, hearing Kurt's breath hitch. "At you? Never." He brought a hand up to lightly brush again Kurt's cheek, drawing his gaze up.

"You have been so much braver than I ever could have been. Dalton was my refuge, my perfect sea of anonymity. You were never meant to stay here, Kurt. Dalton offered you shelter when you needed it. But you don't need it anymore. _You don't need **me** anymore, he added silently._

Eyes clenching shut, Kurt tried to process those statements. Blaine understood, and he wasn't angry. He wanted him to go. _He wanted him to go._ Kurt guessed that the novelty of being a mentor had worn off. He had hoped they were closer friends than that, but maybe not. Disentangling himself from Blaine's arms, Kurt made to stand up.

Panicking, Blaine grabbed hold of Kurt's wrist and held him in place. At Kurt's quizzical look, Blaine confessed quietly, "I hadn't realized just how much I have come to depend on your presence in my life. I'm really going to miss you being here with me." He saw tears forming in Kurt's eyes. "That was in no way supposed to make you feel guilty!" he quickly admonished, mentally berating himself.

Kurt was trying not to grin like an imbecile. Blaine would miss him! Sure, it wasn't a declaration of undying love or anything of the sort, but his heart swelled knowing that he had become an important part of Blaine's life.

Scooting closer to Blaine until their thighs were pressed snugly against one another, Kurt encircled the older teen in his arms, snuggling into his chest when Blaine's arms reciprocated his movements. "You don't have to miss me," he murmured softly, raising a hand between their bodies and pressing his palm over Blaine's heart. "I'm here with you. Always." As an afterthought, he added, "And I'll be expecting texts from you daily." He smiled briefly at Blaine's breathy giggle before growing serious once again. "I wish you could have known me before. You know, before all this-stuff happened."

Blaine exhaled noisily and pulled Kurt even closer, his arm trapped between them. "Me too. You are amazing, Kurt Hummel. Magnificently and wonderfully amazing."

Kurt's heart thrummed with happiness, allowing a grin to take over. No, it wasn't a confession of love…but it was a start.

OoOoOoO

This turned out a bit more angsty than I intended it to. But I have to say I'm fairly happy with it. I'm just so annoyed with the happenings on the show that I couldn't help but morph the storyline into something that depressed me a lot less lol. So I hope you all enjoyed! I actually planned on writing a different one-shot, but this idea rooted itself in my brain and wouldn't let go. Funny enough, the one-shot I had in mind would make a pretty good sequel to this. So maybe if ya like this, keep an eye out for a possible sequel. Thanks for reading! ^*^


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